The present invention relates to an imaging device that generates a color image with the use of visible light and invisible light (such as near-infrared light).
An image generation technique that uses infrared light has been proposed for color image photographing in a low illuminance environment. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-171519 discloses an infrared color image formation device that includes: an infrared camera that receives infrared light emitted or reflected from a target, and obtains an infrared spectral image; a storage device that memorizes in advance the relationship data between colors and infrared spectral emission intensities or infrared spectral reflection coefficients regarding the target; a first processing means that determines a color in each position of the infrared spectral image with the use of the infrared spectral emission intensity or the infrared spectral reflection coefficient in the each position of the infrared spectral image on the basis of the relationship data; and a second processing means that dyes the each position of the image of the target on the basis of color signals obtained by the first processing means.